What was the Wilfork Penalty That Sealed the Loss?

[aluminum seats]

Sad to say, I wasn't able to watch the game, was consigned to following play by play online at the end. So I saw the Bills were playing for the FG, and was figuring how many seconds the Pats would have left, when the Wilfork unsportsmanlike penalty ended the game (gave the Bills a first down.) What was it? Just curious. Slap the QB or something?

 

[WhiZa]

It wasn't Wilfork it was on #70 like the refs called it

 

[Trimpnick]

Yeah, that Punk Mankins came in on a goal-line stand and made a roughing the passer. The problem is the only people in the world who saw it were dressed in stripes

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

The penalty was irrelevant. The Bills were in position to kneel on the ball to run the clock down to :03 with or without the penalty.

Edit: Actually, now that I think about it, maybe :10 to :15.

 

[Mike in 333]

I rarely take the position that the officiating plays a role in determining the outcome of a game but the calls today were particularly without merit and they went both ways. I'm not sure what the outcome would have been if this crew had let both teams play but there were calls today that were just outrageous. This crew did a very poor job.

 

[Koma]

When announcing the penalty, the ref said something to the effect of "driving a player's head into the ground." When I re-watched the play, Wilfork was the only person doing something like that.

Vince pushed one of the Buffalo O-lineman back, knocking him over. He had his hand on the side of a Buffalo player's helmet and he just kept pushing. Technically, the guy's helmet never touched the ground because he was laying on top of someone else, but it went beyond the normal pushing and shoving that happens from time to time.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

I rarely take the position that the officiating plays a role in determining the outcome of a game but the calls today were particularly without merit and they went both ways. I'm not sure what the outcome would have been if this crew had let both teams play but there were calls today that were just outrageous. This crew did a very poor job.

Part of the game prep done by BB is to inform his players of the officiating crew's tendencies. The team admitted post game that they knew these guys throw a lot of flags. They knew what they were in for.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

When announcing the penalty, the ref said something to the effect of "driving a player's head into the ground." When I re-watched the play, Wilfork was the only person doing something like that.

Vince pushed one of the Buffalo O-lineman back, knocking him over. He had his hand on the side of a Buffalo player's helmet and he just kept pushing. Technically, the guy's helmet never touched the ground because he was laying on top of someone else, but it went beyond the normal pushing and shoving that happens from time to time.

I didn't hear the announcement, but I've seen the call made a few times before -- when a team is in the kneeldown (usually to run out the clock at the end of the game) and the defender tries to come in and cause a fumble before the QB takes the knee, I've seen it called unsportsmanlike. I think it can be for a variety of reasons -- trying to kick the ball, etc. I thought it was in that neighborhood yesterday but wasn't really paying attention since the game was basically over once the Bills decided not to try to score the TD but instead to let the clock run.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

The whistle blows and the play is over when the QB takes a knee. I think Vince kept going a little after that, but on my crappy internet feed I can't tell you exactly when the whistle blew.

Bad calls suck. But...

They aren't in the top 5 reasons why we lost, however, so I hate it when I come here and see Patriots fans whining like Colts or Ravens fans (and players) over bad calls being somehow the key to a tough loss.